Did You Believe These Top 5 Food Myths Were True?

May 29, 2018 by apost team

There's so many rules about food preparation that have become second nature for us. We've learned many from our mothers, grandmothers, or others, and have come to regard them as rules that must be followed. But are they really necessary? 

Here's a list of the top 5 myths many believe are valid. Turns out they have been found to have no solid evidence of being true. 

I'm sure you've heard that a plastic cutting board is better than a wood one because wood collects a lot of bacteria build-up. This has been regarded as true since it was believed that much bacteria would get into grains of the wood and stay there, as opposed to plastic where there is no grain for the bacteria to linger. Scientists, however, have proven this untrue. 

Research has shown that if you were to cut through the wood board and the plastic board, you would actually find more live bacteria in the plastic, whereas the bacteria in the wood would have died. So it's fair to say that the wood board is more sanitary. 

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The truth is, in fact, the opposite. Adding salt to water will actually raise the boiling point of water - but this doesn't mean you should stop adding salt to your water altogether! Especially when cooking noodles and rice, sodium will add a significant amount of flavor to your dish. Some cooks even say to add a full tablespoon when cooking!

So many different foods out there are being advertised as low-fat or fat-free as if they contribute to a healthy diet. However, what matters is not the amount of fat in a food or product, but what type of fat it is. Your body needs healthy fats to survive and stay healthy. It is best for you to focus on monounsaturated fats which are found in things like like avocados or almonds. Also consume omega-3 fatty acids like those found in salmon, which although higher in fat, is great for you in moderation. 

We definitely do need calcium as part of a healthy diet. But is calcium really found only in dairy products? Contrary to popular belief, it is actually dark leafy greens that contain the most amounts of calcium. Also, whle dark leafy greens contain other essential nutrients for our health, dairy can contain dangerous hormones that can actually harm you over long periods of time. 

You were probably taught this myth so you could avoid cooking all of the juices out of your meat. However, this only applies to meat if your plan is to boil it, not grill it. Therefore, if you are cooking meat in the oven or on a grill, searing the meat first will not make any noticeable difference.

In fact, searing the meat was found to lessen the meat juices. The only thing searing will do is brown the outside of your meat, which does taste really good. So if that's what you were looking for, then by all means, go for it! 

So what do you think about these myths? Did you fall for any of them? Show this to your family and friends to see which ones they fell for, too!